Cut-out puzzle or game



May.2l,1929. T. c`. GRAHAM 'Y 1,714,127

CUT-OUT PUZZLE l0R GAME Filed April l2, 1928 D/j?. l v A i j INVENToR.

QDFMBYAA/ A TTORN E YS.

Patented May '21, 1929.

UNITED STATES 1,714,127 PATENT OFFICE.

'roxc. Gamm, or ALBANY, NEW Yoan, AssfeNon 'ro 'rHEEMEossING COMPANY, or ALBANY, NEW Yong, A oonroRArroN or NEW Yonx.

CUT-OUT PUZZLE 0R GAME.

Application filed April '12, 1928. Serial No. 269,324.

This invention relates to games or puzzles andV7 has for its objects, among others, to provide a game or puzzle which is compara'- vtively easy to manufacture, simple in physical structure, and inexpensive, although sufiiciently diflicult to win orsolve as to make it highly' amusing, entertaining, and instructive.

These objects, and others. which will presently become apparent, may best be appreciated by reading the following disclosure of what I now consider a preferred physical embodiment of my invention: it being understood, of course, that the construction and/or materials employed may be modified without departing from the scope of the. invention as defined in a pendedclafims;

Referring to the rawings which illustrate the now preferred physicalv embodiment of my invention Fig. 1 isf face view of the complete device.

Fi 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing, 1n dotted lines, the margmal edges or boundaries of certain of the detachable portions and showing the remainder of the del ftachable portions removed.

' tachable Fig. 3 is a rear View of one of the deportions. Fig. 4 1s a section (exaggerated somewhat as to thickness of the sheets) taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

The vstructure comprises a sheet 10 of cardboard, or other suitable sheet material, having a complete picture directly printed, painted, lithographed, or otherwise provided thereon, or provided on a surface or` veneer sheet glued or otherwise secured to the main sheet 10. The sheet 10 bearing the complete picture is stamped or cut, as by means of a suitable die, to provide a grille -11 and detachable portions 12. In, the form illus- .trated there are 28 detachable portions or members 12,leach square with rounded corners, and each of the same size and shape as any other member 12. The detachable fportions or members 12 are then removed 170m the sheet 10 leaving the grille 11 which is then glued, pasted, or otherwise secured at its rear face to a backing sheet 13 of cardboard or other suitable material. The backing sheet 13 is provided with .a plurality of finger openings 14, i. e. openings through which the user or player ma st1ck his finger and readily push out a etachable portion or-member 12 covering that particular opening. There are as many of such finger openings 14 as there are openings in the grille 11 to receive the detachable members 1.2, and each such opening 14 is smaller than the grille recess with which it registers. An edge binding 15 of cloth, leather, imitation leather, or the like, may be glued or fastene( to and around the edges of the assembled sheets 10, 13, as desired.

In using the puzzle, or playing the game, the detachableI portions or members 12 are removed from the device. This may conveniently be done by thrusting the finger through the finger openings 14.l The now detached portions or members 12 are shuffled and the desideratum is to re-mount them in the grille so as to form the complete picture. So far as size and shape are' concerned any member 12 will fit into any one of the twentyeight grille openings. Furthermore any member 1 2 may be mounted, with the proper face uppermost, in any one of four positions in itsgrille opening, one of such positions being the correct one and the other three being incorrect. The user or player therefore has no aid in correctly assembling the picture b way of relative shape or size of the detac able portions or members 12', but his sole guide is to match the parts of the picture borne by the detachable and nondetachable portions. When the parts 12 have been re-assembled (as shown in Fig. 1,) the puzzle has been solved or the gamel won.

The puzzle or game may be made inceasingly difficult of solution by increasing the number of detachable members 12 in a given picture area, or by decreasing the surface area of the grille portion ofthe sheet 10, or by increasing the number of sides of each of the members 12 (i. e. making them pentagonal, hexagonal, etc. and ultimately circular), or by doing any two or more of all of these things. may be decreased by making the members 12 of different sizes or different shapes, etc. However, as state I now prefer the construetion shown.

Two or more individuals may wage va contest by each striving properly to re-assemble the same or different puzzle cards quicker than his opponent or opponents.

l-In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I have herein described the principle of operation of my invention, t0-

The difficulty of solutionv getlier with the apparatus which I novT con- Sider to represent the best embodiment thereof, but I desire to have it understood that the apparatus disclosed is only illustrative and that the invention can be carried out by other means. Also, while it is designed to use the various features and elements in`the combinations and relations described, some of these may be altered and others omitted and some of the features of each modification may be embodied in the others Without interfering with the more general results outlined, and the invention extends to such use.

Wvhat I claim is:

1. A picture puzzle comprisinglr a picturebearing sheet having detachable vportions each bearing a part of a complete picture and interposed non-detachable portions each bearing a part of the same complete picture.

2. A picture puzzle comprising a picturebearing sheet having detachable portions each bearing a part of a completepicture and interposed non-detachable portions each bearing a part of the same complete picture, each i of said detachable portions being of the same size and shape as any of the other detachable portions.

3. A picture puzzle comprising a picturebearing -sheet having detachable portions each bearing a part of a complete picture and interposed non-detachable portions each bearingl a part of the same complete picture, each of said detachable portions being of the same l size and shape as anv of the other detachplurality of relatively incorrect positions I when replaced in its proper recess afterrenioval therefrom.

5. A picture puzzle comprisin a grille of sheet material bearing a part o a complete picture; a backing sheet to Which the grille is permanently secured and having relatively small linger openings each communicating with a corresponding opening in the grille; and a plurality of members oi` sheet material each adapted to seat in any one of a number of positions in any of the openings in the grille, each bearing a part of the complete picture of which the grille bears a art, and adapted when and only when assembled each in a single correct position in its correct grille opening to complete the picture of Which the grille bears a part.

In testimony whereof I hereto afX my signature.

TOM C. GRAHAM. 

